This invention relates to a motor vehicle wiper apparatus having both front and rear wiper mechanisms and particularly to a control for such an apparatus. Motor vehicles are known having front wiper apparatus for the windshield and rear wiper apparatus for the rear window; however, the front and rear wipers are separately controlled. The separate control is desirable, since a driver may wish to clean one of the windshield and rear window without operating the wiper on the other. However, when the vehicle is driven in reverse in the rain, the driver may wish the rear wiper to operate for better visibility through the rear window, although it has not been activated along with the front wiper mechanism. At such a time, the driver, having perhaps already turned away from the vehicle controls to look out through the rear window, may find it inconvenient to turn back to the controls to find the rear wiper activation switch.